Trent Bridge

Nottinghamshire Secure 541-Run Victory

Match Report | 19th April 2013

Nottinghamshire recorded their first win of the 2013 season when they defeated Durham MCCU on the final afternoon of their 3-day friendly at Trent Bridge.

Set a nominal 663 for victory, the students were dismissed for 121, giving Notts victory by 541 runs, their highest-ever winning margin.

Jake Ball was the pick of the eight bowlers used, claiming figures of 3-18.

Starting the day on 4-0, the students soon lost opener Ivo Hobson (1) lbw, playing around a full delivery from Ajmal Shahzad.

"The margin of victory eclipses the previous best by Nottinghamshire, a 330-run win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1904."

Ben Phillips failed to get amongst the wickets in the first innings but soon rectified that by removing the off pole of Rishabh Shah (7) in the tenth over of the innings to reduce the score to 24-2.

Chris Jones, captain of the university side, battled for 85 minutes in compiling 16 but then nicked a fiercely-rising delivery through to Chris Read to give Harry Gurney his fourth dismissal of the match.

Notts were made to work hard during the closing 45-minutes of the session as Chaitanya Bishnoi and Luke Patel dug in and correctly put a high premium on their wicket.

Bishnoi failed to score from any of the final 27 deliveries he faced, remaining on an unbeaten 25 out of the lunch score of 70-3, with his partner on 12.

In blustery, overcast conditions the afternoon session began with Jake Ball bowling from the Pavilion End. Bishnoi extended his run-less sequence by another three deliveries before being comprehensively bowled by the next - Ball, picking up his maiden first class wicket in England, after taking three with the pink ball on his Abu Dhabi debut in 2011.

With Rory Cox unable to bat after fracturing a thumb in the field Ollie Steele, who made a duck in the first innings, came in at six.

The new batsman scored 3 but was then given out lbw by umpire Michael Gough, giving Ball a second wicket in quick succession. Nat Watkins (3) didn’t last long either, again being given out lbw from Ball’s bowling after getting neither forward nor back.

Luke Patel (19) fell to his namesake, charging Samit Patel he mistimed his attempted shot over the top and gave Phillips an easy take at mid on.

Steven Mullaney helped himself to his first wicket of the season, courtesy of the fourth lbw of the day as Charlie Wallis (0) departed to a delivery that kept low.

Freddie van den Bergh (34) decided to make the most of his Trent Bridge experience with an array of attacking shots, including a six off Graeme White but then fell two balls later, bowled having missed the ball when charging down the wicket.

The margin of victory eclipses the previous best by Nottinghamshire, a 330-run win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1904.